When looking for a new home, Ryland Zaborowski enjoyed a plethora of options. With top teams offering, he veered slightly, choosing Georgia. Granted, UGA, over the past couple of seasons, fielding good teams, capable of making deep playoff runs. However, the team seemingly lacked teeth in the middle of their lineup.
Ryland Zaborowski Finds Groove in Athens
By grabbing the former Miami (OH) Redhawk into the fold. To this point, Zaborowski started to earn a reputation as a feared hitter in the SEC. While not quite out of nowhere, the UGA designated hitter garnered the attention of Baseball America writers Jacob Rudner and Peter Flaherty.
The writing duo named him the Midseason SEC Player of the Year, stating:
“A clear contender for National Player of the Year as well, Zaborowski was the easy choice for SEC Player of the Year after powering his way to a .424/.562/.950 line with 15 home runs, seven doubles, 51 RBIs, and more walks (24) than strikeouts (19). A transfer from Miami (Ohio), Zaborowski has become one of the nation’s most consistent and feared power hitters thanks to an exceptionally disciplined approach.”
Ryland Zaborowski (@BaseballUGA) gets a hold of his 16th homer of the year with this solo jack… tee’d up on a cutter & added to the tally. Solid approach in the box with good swing decisions & picks up on spin, juice is evident. @PG_Draft
Gr./‘25 Elig. pic.twitter.com/xr7vC5v1Ia
— PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) April 13, 2025
People need to notice the contact immediately. Zaborowski strikes the ball with violence, yet he doesn’t burden his team with numerous strikeouts. He loves to stay poolside, but the Georgia hitter can leave the yard all over the outfield.
He makes Georgia a tougher postseason out. Even with power, Zaborowski will take walks and force the pitcher to throw strikes.
Who is Zaborowski?
Before jumping into his travels through baseball, Ryland Zaborowski fought, struggled and battle just to get to the plate. Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, he learned differently than his classmates. His parents fought for his education, constantly guiding him. Autism isn’t a life-threatening condition.
The UGA designated hitting understands this point and champions the mainstreaming of children on the spectrum and offered advice to parents while speaking with Jack Schmelzinger of the Miami Daily Student, stating:
“If your kid’s diagnosed, you can’t just go straight to the negative,” Zaborowski said. “I mean, yeah, it might be bad news that they’re on the spectrum when you find out, but if you see something they’re good at, let them pursue that. Maybe they’re great at a sport, or maybe they’re in love with cars. It could be anything. They don’t know where that will take them. It can be their escape from reality.”
That quote sums up the player and the approach to a condition that isn’t a uniformly structured one. Remember, the word spectrum appears in the title. So, when you hear that the player earned his bachelor’s in Sport Management, you just know how hard he worked for it.
After graduating from Basha High School (Chandler, Ariz.), Zaborowski committed to Grand Canyon University. The six-foot-five, 236-pound infielder/outfielder struggled with GCU, hitting .226 with two home runs and 15 runs batted in. After a quick detour to Yavapai Junior College, the hitter transferred to Miami of Ohio.
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With the RedHawks, over his two-year, 103-game career, Zaborowski broke out, batting .302 with 30 home runs and 97 runs batted in. After graduating, Ryland Zaborowski decided on picking his final collegiate hoe. So, why did he pick Georgia? He spoke to georgiabulldogs.com about his choice to attend UGA.
“Last year at Miami (Ohio), we had a coaching change. I was unsure what my plans were, so I entered the transfer portal as a precaution, not knowing who we were going to hire, and Wes Johnson was actually one of the first people to reach out to me.”
Johnson kept the lines of communication open.
“He even told me on the phone call, ‘If a grad year comes into play, reach out to me and we’ll go from there.’ And that’s what happened. I had another year to use, and Wes was the first person to call me, and he couldn’t believe that I was a grad transfer to go and get. Really after three days I was like, ‘Wes, let’s do it. I want to come be a Georgia Bulldog and end my last year with a really good chance of going to Omaha.”
Zaborowski overcame processing difficulties and batting slumps to start the 2025 as the best hitter in the Southeastern Conference. Now, he wants to get his team to the College World Series.
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